Desperation
by noscruples
Summary: Jason is on a mission to locate Elizabeth before his time runs out. Everyone bands together to help, and he is in for a big surprise when they finally meet face to face under dire circumstances.
1. Chapter 1

Jason is on a mission to locate Elizabeth before his time runs out. Everyone bands together to help, and he is in for a big surprise when they finally meet face to face under dire circumstances.

A/N – Alright. Here is the preview. This "ficlet" is 6 chapters. I did change some things around, like Liz already has her nursing license Courtney time.

Hope you like it. Let me know what you think.

Chapter 1

Jason sucked in his breath as he tried to focus in on anything. He could tell there were people all around him, shouting as they jostled his body. Something was terribly wrong. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was being in the diner—Kelly's. A place he once loved, but with Elizabeth gone, it represented pain. Courtney had called him and said someone was in the alley behind the diner and they tried to grab her. He had hoped she wasn't lying because she was another person he wished that he never had to see again. It was because of her grabbing him and kissing him several months before, something Elizabeth unfortunately saw, that caused a whole chain of events that resulted in Liz's disappearance. For the last six months, he had looked for her everywhere, driving his body to the extreme. On Sonny's command, Johnny was glued to his side, making sure that he ate and drank, but Jason didn't care. His body didn't matter to him. He needed to find Elizabeth and make things right. His mind was jolted back to the present. The alley… What happened?

Leo and Leyla worked feverishly on him, but he wasn't responding. His blood pressure was sky high, and he had two seizures since he got there. Courtney had called 911 when she heard some commotion and by the time they got there, Jason was gone. He had been missing for seventy-two hours and then his body was unceremoniously dumped on the sidewalk outside General Hospital. Monica had found him and they couldn't figure out what the hell was going on with his body. From what they could gather, his neural synapses were firing, at least that is what Leo suspected. They called in Noah Drake and were doing a scan when another seizure hit.

"He's trying to wake up," Monica said.

"Maybe he'll know what the hell happened to him," Leo muttered. Jason was a hot mess. Until they knew what they were dealing with, their hands were tied. They had run every test imaginable and Noah was currently going over his CT scan.

"Jason. Can you hear me?"

His eyes snapped open and he desperately tried to make out who was talking to him.

Monica laid a hand on his shoulder. "Jason, it's Monica. Take a deep breath. You're in the hospital."

Slowly her face came into focus. "What's wrong with me?"

"We don't know and were hoping you do."

"I was at Kelly's in the alley. That's the last thing that I remember."

"You were there to help Courtney, but someone must have ambushed you."

He tried to remember more, but his head was aching. "Headache."

"You have had several seizures. Your blood pressure is through the roof."

Alan moved towards them. "Noah is on his way." Jason's eyes were locked on him. "I'll leave if you want."

"It's okay," Jason said. He didn't know why it was okay, but it just seemed right that they were there. If something were to go terribly wrong, he didn't want to be alone. Things had been tense between them since the accident and they rarely spoke, maybe it was time to let the bitterness go.

Noah walked in. Fear. Jason could smell it on him. He was screwed, that much was evident. "Jason, it appears that someone implanted you with a device. It's what has caused you to have the seizures. While I was reviewing them with a colleague, a letter was delivered."

Jason eyes drifted to the piece of paper in his hands which was slightly shaking.

"I'm afraid that a Dr. Devlin has implanted you with a device that will be triggered in forty-eight hours. At that time, it will attack your neurological system and you will die."

Monica gasped as tears flooded her eyes. "Can't you do something?"

"Due to the location, even if we got it out, he would probably be a vegetable."

Jason swallowed languidly. After all the confrontations and gun fights he had been in, conflicts he somehow barely survived, now he was going to be taken out in such a cowardly way that he didn't even know how to process it. The room was uncomfortably quiet. He licked his lips. "Can I go?"

Everyone's eyes shot to him.

"What?" Monica said.

"Can—I—go?"

"Jason, that wouldn't be recommended. You're having seizures and your body is a mess right now. We have no idea what other problems could arise," Noah said.

"Can you give me something for the seizures?"

"Yes, but—"

"I'm leaving. I have to do something. It's important."

Monica was at a loss for words.

Alan looked at the Noah and then the nurse. "Can you give us a moment alone with our son please?"

"Sure," Noah said. "I'll be in the hallway."

Alan waited until they were gone and then turned to Jason. "What is so important that it's worth risking your life for?" His son's eyes filled with tears, making him teeter back on his heels in shock.

"Love."

'Who?" Monica asked, finally finding her voice.

"Elizabeth Webber."

Alan frowned. "Isn't she gone?" Elizabeth had just started working for General Hospital when she disappeared. Everyone had been scared that something had gone horribly wrong and he knew that Jason blamed himself. They weren't terribly close, but he tried to keep an eye on him.

"Yes. I need to find her. I can't die without her knowing how I feel about her. She's everything to me and I screwed up."

"How do you know that she is alive?"

"If she wasn't, I would know. That is just the nature of my business." If someone had killed her, they would have bragged or used it in some way to control him. None of that had occurred. It was as if she had disappeared into a black hole.

Alan and Monica's eyes locked for a moment.

"What can we do to help?"

"Nothing. I need to do this on my own."

"Jason, you can't go by yourself," Monica said.

"I'll take Johnny. He's probably here already. Go into the hallway and say his name."

Alan did so and a man sheepishly appeared from around the corner. "Jason wants to see you."

Johnny nodded and walked past him. "What's going on?" he asked as he perused Jason's body, looking for the cause of his distress.

"I need to go and you're coming with me."

"What's up?" When they had gotten word that Jason was down, they had scoured the city for him with no luck.

"He has a chip in his head that will kill him in forty-eight hours," Alan said.

Johnny stepped backwards, like he was pushed while he tried to process that.

"Jason wants to leave and find Elizabeth Webber. We can't keep him here against his will, but I can at least make sure that someone has his back."

Johnny's eyes locked with Jason's. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I can't die without talking to her. They can't remove it." He didn't want to focus on his death when there was nothing he could do about it.

"We could get Stan to help us find out who did this and go after them—maybe kill the program that is controlling it."

"He can do that while I'm looking. Johnny, I need your help. I know that Stan had a couple of leads. We need to pick the best one and go with it."

Johnny let out a long breath. Sonny was going to kill him, but he couldn't let Jason do this alone. "Alright, I'm in."

Monica rolled her eyes.

"I'll take care of him the best I can. What do I do?"

Monica went over Jason's care and got some medicine. "He should keep his head still. Any additional brain injury could kill him."

"Okay. What else?" He would call Francis in if he had too. The man had abruptly quit after Liz disappeared because he was so devastated that she went missing on his watch.

"Rest. He's going to be tired. The medicine will minimize the seizures, but they will still take their toll on his body.

"Alright."

Monica started to remove the cords that were monitoring his brain activity. "Do you have any idea where you are headed?"

"No." They didn't need to know the details. Whoever did this to him was probably tracking him too, so he'd need some gun power when he got there and would have to pull some men.

As if he read his mind, Johnny stepped out into the hallway and made some calls. Once Monica was finished, Alan helped Jason sit up.

"I know you're worried. I'm sorry that I've been so distant. I just—it was my way of surviving and taking control of my life. I know you don't agree with the lifestyle I chose, but if this is goodbye, I just want you to know that I'm sorry if I hurt you."

Monica stepped in front of him. "May I?"

Jason slightly nodded and Monica gently embraced him.

"I love you Jason. You are my son and while every instinct is telling me to stop you, I know that would be selfish and controlling. I just don't want you to die."

Jason looked away. "I don't want to die either."

Alan joined them. "We made mistakes. I hope you know how sorry we are too. We love you and only wanted the best for you. I guess we just didn't know how to let go of who you were before. Can you forgive us?"

"Okay." It just seemed wrong, at this point, to continue pushing them away.

Alan hugged his son, savoring how good it felt, and then reluctantly let him go. "Take care of yourself Jason. Somehow, this has to work out. I can't lose you again."

His father's eyes filled with tears and Jason sucked in a harsh breath. This was too much. He couldn't focus on his impending death. The only thing he needed to make a priority was finding the woman that he loves and spending whatever time he has left with her.

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Johnny watched Jason's eyes slowly close. This was shit show and he was scared. It wasn't an emotion that he allowed to overtake him very often, but the seriousness of the situation was tearing his stomach up. They pulled up to a building and he parked, waking Jason up. He opened the back door and Jason slid out.

Once inside, four men averted their attention from their phones, closely taking in their friend.

"Thank you for coming," Jason said before sitting.

"We have your back," Milo said.

"Johnny has filled you in on the situation. My health is not important. We need to find Elizabeth before it's too late."

Stan came out of an office and approached them. "I think that she is in Canada. I don't have an address yet, but in the meantime, you can head towards Guelph. Ian Devlin is in Russia. I already have some men on it."

"My dad is handling it," Milo explained.

"Thank you."

"We need to figure out who hired Ian," Johnny said.

"I'm on it. I won't sleep. I'm set up in the office and Cooper is going to keep me company and make sure I have coffee, food, and a stun gun if necessary to wake me up. I won't let you down," Stan said.

Jason was moved by their tenacity.

"You have always been respectful and have done a lot for the organization. This is what you deserve."

Sonny walked towards them, making Jason's eyes grow big. "Did you really think I wouldn't find out what you are doing?"

Jason closed his eyes. "Sonny…."

"While I'm a little affronted, we really don't have time for that. You're taking the plane. Jason, you're like a brother to me and I care what happens to you. I also know that I have to let you find your own way, so I'm not going to fight you. Losing you is not an option. Stan will do everything he can to help you and I won't stand in his way."

Jason stood and went to shake Sonny's hand and his boss pulled him into a half hug. Sonny depended on Jason for a lot and he was trying to emotionally hold it together to be strong, but knowing this might be the last time that he saw him was devastating him.

"Goodbye my friend," Sonny said softly.

"Thank you for everything," Jason replied.

An emotional Sonny walked away and the guys got back to work revising their plan until they were completely satisfied.

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Elizabeth sighed as she rearranged the charts in front of her. She missed Port Charles and wondered what Emily and Nikolas were up too. And then there was Jason, the man who held such a big piece of her heart. She was truly feeling remorseful for up and leaving, but she couldn't watch him with Courtney Matthews. He had moved on so quickly and it had hurt her to the core. Regardless of the fact that she had pushed him away and acted as if he was dead to her, seeing him kiss Courtney had thrown her over the edge.

Her eyes traveled around the room, looking for the man who now made her feel safe and protected. Finally, they locked with Francis's and she slightly smiled. He was wonderful, arranging to get her out of the country and help her start a new life. For now, he was a security guard at the hospital, going by the name of Henry Kint, so he could be near her. It would be what Jason would want if he knew. Part of him felt guilty for what he had done, but he figured at least if something happened, he could get word back to Johnny and Jason could be notified. It was better than having her completely disappear without a trace. When she had come to him, distraught and in the midst of a breakdown, he couldn't say no to her. He helped her pack some things and then he hid her for a few days while he quit. She looked online during that time and found a job opening for a waitress and that is how they ended up in Canada. It had taken several months, but she passed their nursing equivalency exam and was now working in a hospital.

Every day she had a stare down with her phone, dialing Jason's number and then turning it off. He was probably still with Courtney and she just couldn't bear to think about it. The woman had pretended to be her friend and knew how torn up Liz was about what Jason and Sonny had done. Now the lying just didn't seem to matter. Jason had followed Sonny's orders and avoided her so he didn't have to lie to her. At the time, it seemed like such a huge betrayal because of what she had went through with Lucky's supposed death, but now—now she realized that it was par for the course in their line of business. Jason couldn't tell her everything and she had let her hurt and angry fuel her reaction. Now Courtney was with the man she had fallen in love with. Stripper Barbie was now living her dream. She pushed back her emotions and grabbed a chart and walked away from the nurse's station. It was not the time to lose it, she had too much work to do.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N – Thanks for the comments! Glad you are excited about it. I had a fun time in Chicago even though the weather sucked. * Guest - Remember, they were not together when she left. She was under no obligation to let Jason know where she was going. They broke up and it wasn't a warm and fuzzy, let's be friends kind of thing. He lied and pushed her away (avoided her-same as show on that point). Francis is protecting her or else no one would know where she is. That is what he was focused on. Jason doesn't think she's hurt. He said that he didn't think it was a rival. He's not mad at her. Why should you be? They both screwed up.

Chapter 2

Jason got settled into his seat. Johnny was on one side and Milo on the other. Logan, Micah, and Richie rounded out the rest of the guards. Half way to the strip, Jason had a seizure and Milo calmly assisted him. The guys were very uneasy about his medical condition and it had started to sink in that by the end of the trip, Jason most likely would be dead.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

They got Jason into a room and settled. He would share it with Johnny and Milo. The small motel wasn't fancy, but the beds were decent and there was a restaurant next door where they had eaten. In a way, the large men stuck out, but no one seemed to pay them much attention.

Once Johnny knew Jason was asleep, he slipped out and went next door, leaving him with Milo. "What's going on?"

"It's basically like trying to find a needle in a haystack. I don't think she's going by her name which means someone helped her leave," Logan said.

Johnny plopped onto the bed. "We have very little time. By tomorrow night, we'll only have one day left."

"That's not giving us a lot to go on."

"I know."

"I need to find Francis. I've left a few messages for him to call, but he hasn't returned them."

"I'll have Stan give it shot, but we both know that if he's deep undercover, we probably won't find him," Richie said.

Johnny sighed. This was beyond frustrating. He really didn't think that he'd be able to handle it if Jason died before they could find Elizabeth. It would be tragic.

Logan called Stan and passed on the request.

"I'm texting Stan a list of names that Francis might use. I had to get creative because if he wants to stay hidden, he would have used something more obscure," Johnny said.

The men were silent. Somehow, they needed to change how this ended so they wouldn't lose a good friend.

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Jason's eyes fluttered open. He was glad that he was alive, but it was surreal to know the exact time of your death. There was a clock ticking in his head that couldn't be ignored. Even though he shoved his feelings down, it was weighing heavily on him. How could it not? He had made so many mistakes with Elizabeth and he just wanted to fix it.

Milo came out of the bathroom. "You okay?"

"Yeah." He was handed some medicine and water.

"Your mom texted me already."

Jason finished drinking and put the bottle on the nightstand. "Why?" He hadn't realized that Milo had given her his number.

"She's worried. I told her that you were still sleeping."

Jason swung his legs over the side of the bed and grabbed his phone. For some reason, he didn't mind hearing her voice. He dialed and Monica picked up on the first ring. She had called out sick, unable to concentrate.

"Jason?"

"Hey."

She breathed out a long breath as she savored the sound of his voice. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, but okay. I don't feel any pain right now. And yes, I just took my meds."

She smirked. "Good. Just try not to move around too much. Milo knows to call me if something happens. I love you Jason. Please be careful."

"Thanks."

He ended the call.

"That didn't hurt too much, did it?" Milo asked.

"No. It's weird, but oddly comforting."

Milo smiled. "I spoke to my dad. They haven't found Devlin yet, but they have some leads."

"It might be too late."

"Well, if it isn't, at least we'll know who did this and can take them out." It was also important that they found out if the man had done anything else to Jason.

"I'm going to take a shower."

Milo grabbed his bag and walked it into the bathroom and got Jason's towel ready.

Even though he was capable of doing it himself, Jason let him assist, knowing that the guys needed to help.

While he was in the bathroom Johnny and the rest of the guys entered the main room.

They heard the shower and got comfortable. He put the bag of breakfast sandwiches down and passed it around. Jason didn't normally eat breakfast, but Johnny wasn't going to take no for an answer. Richie had gotten coffee too, so they each grabbed a container. It was going to be a long day. In the other room, they set up several computers, trying to search the hospitals in the area and dig up anything they could on Elizabeth.

"Francis is still missing in action," Johnny said.

"He picked the worst time to disappear," Logan said.

"We'll keep on it. He'll turn up." They had people all over the world looking for Francis. Jason understood why he quit and disappeared from the grid. He would have probably done the same thing. They all took their jobs very seriously.

Jason came out of the bathroom and sat on the bed. Milo handed him a sandwich and he tried to wave it away.

"Don't make me call your mom," Johnny said.

Jason rolled his eyes.

"Please eat it. You need to keep up your strength," Milo said pathetically.

"Fine."

The younger man turned away so Jason didn't see him smirk.

"What's the plan."

"We have computers set up in the other room."

"Okay. I can come over there."

"Jason, you need to rest."

"Did you really expect me to just lie around all day? I want Milo to take me to some of the hospitals on our list to see if I can find someone who recognizes her."

"Hell no!" Johnny said standing abruptly. "Monica said that you're not supposed to move around a lot and I will make that happen even if I have to tie you down!"

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'll let you have a computer. That's all I'm willing to do."

"Fine. If I knew you were going to be such a pain in the ass, I would have left you at home."

"Whatever."

The other men left them alone so they could get to work.

Jason wanted to systematically destroy the entire room. He stood, looking around for a way to vent out his frustration. Johnny watched him blink a couple of times and then ran towards him.

Jason's body started to fall to the side and Johnny caught him and got him back onto the bed. Once he was in seizure mode, there wasn't much that could be done. Finally, his body stopped jerking and Johnny wiped the hair out of Jason's face. He had been surprised when Jason let it grow longer, but then again, he barely had taken care of himself since Elizabeth had left. Between his responsibilities as an enforcer, and trying to figure out where Liz would have gone, he had been very busy.

"You're okay."

Jason was gripping his arm. "Sucks."

"I know."

He let his hand drop and Johnny re-positioned him and then propped a pillow under his head.

"I want you to have my bike."

Johnny plopped onto the other bed. "I—I can't handle this conversation."

"I need to make plans. I don't have a lot. You can have my guns. Just throw my clothes out and donate my travel books."

"Elizabeth might want to have them."

"I don't want her sitting around being depressed looking at my stuff."

"That's easier said than done." Elizabeth would be devastated and he could see her wanting anything of Jason's she could get her hands on.

"She painted me a picture of the wind. It's hanging up in my bedroom. Will you make sure that she gets it back?"

"Of course. I won't stop looking for her. I don't even want to ask this, but I know I have to. Where do you want to be buried?"

"I'm sure my parents will want me in the mausoleum. I don't care. Let them do what they want. I've denied them all these years. I won't continue to do it when I'm gone."

"Fair enough." Johnny stood.

"Do you honestly think you're going to find her?"

"Hell yeah, because I don't fail."

He left the room and Jason closed his eyes. If anyone could find her, he knew it would be Johnny.

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Elizabeth rolled out of bed. She sniffed the air and grinned. Francis was making pancakes and bacon. As quickly as possible, she used the bathroom and then joined him.

He heard her and smiled. "I hope you're hungry."

"Starving." She had the day off and planned on just laying around for the most part.

A plate was placed in front of her and she started to feast.

"Make sure your little passenger gets some," he said as he handed her some orange juice.

"Oh, I will." She had found out she was pregnant a few months after she started working in Canada. It had totally stunned her and she tried to decide what she wanted to do, but still hadn't completely made up her mind.

"Is the plan to still go back to Port Charles for the birth?"

"Yeah. I might as well come clean. I just wanted a stress free pregnancy and I know Carly will not let me have that, not to mention Grams and my friends. I'm just not sure I should tell Jason over the phone. Maybe he could come here."

"I get it. I think Jason will surprise you and be happy."

She finished chewing a piece of bacon. "I'm not so sure of that. If he has moved on with Courtney, he might see it as an obligation. I want my baby to be loved."

"Jason has a huge capacity for love. And for the record, I do think that he loved you."

"I hope so. Things got so bad, but I do want to fix them."

"Maybe you should call him." He knew from the beginning that Elizabeth would break down and send word home. She was a kind-hearted person and wouldn't keep her baby from Jason. She just needed time to process things and relax. The baby came first. The doctor had already warned her that she needed to watch her blood pressure. That was when she made the decision to wait to go home until she was further along.

She sighed. "I'm scared."

"Just tell him hello and that you're fine and see how the conversation goes from there."

"Okay."

Francis handed her a phone.

She dialed and then waited and when he didn't pick up, she left a message. "Jason, it's Elizabeth. I just—I'm fine, but I really need to speak with you. I'll try calling back later. I hope you're okay. I think about you every day. I miss your voice." She ended the call and a tear rolled down her face.

Francis walked around the counter and hugged her as she cried. He knew it was partly hormones, but she was also lonely. Of course she had him, but it wasn't the same because she was in love with Jason and she had cut off all her friends and family to try and get her head on straight.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. Now finish your food."

"Will you watch a movie with me?"

"Of course. Maybe I can take you out to lunch."

She smiled. "My choice?"

"What are you craving for now?"

"Italian."

"Good answer."

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Richie combed the area, stopping at several hospitals and clinics. They were on the smaller side, but there was no sign of her. He reported back to Johnny and let him know and was told to continue the search. They were running out time fast.

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Alan walked into the sitting room. Monica was crying as she looked out of the window. "Monica."

She turned. "Hi. What are you doing home?"

He watched her wipe off her face as she struggled to quell her emotions. "I couldn't focus and I was worried about you."

"I'm fine. It's Jason that I'm worried about."

They hugged.

"I spoke to him this morning."

"How did he sound?"

"Tired. I still can't believe he took off."

"I would have done that for you."

She embraced him more tightly. "I'm almost numb and out of tears."

"Me too. Edward called a few hospital administrators he knew in Canada and sent them Elizabeth's picture. So far, no bites."

"That was nice of him."

"He's hurting too. Even Tracy is ornery."

"Will you sit with me for a while?"

Alan nodded and took her hand and they cuddled on the couch.

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Carly stormed into Sonny's office. "How could you not tell me what is going on with Jason?"

"He asked me not too."

"Why?"

"Because he didn't want to deal with the drama."

Carly started to cry. "He could die and I didn't even get to tell him that I love him."

"I think he's aware of that. You don't let him forget."

She sat and let out a few more tears before getting herself together. "How did he look?"

"Like Jason."

"Sonny!"

"What? He looked tired, but like himself."

"I can't believe he left."

"He's in love."

She made a noise and rolled her eyes. "With muffin? Please."

"If Jason makes it through this, he's going to marry that girl, so you better be prepared."

"Marry? They haven't even slept together."

"Don't be so sure of that. I think they did."

Carly was speechless.

"Look Carly, be a friend to Jason and support him. He has forgiven you for a lot and stood by you. Now it is time to stand by him."

Tears welled in her eyes again. "Even if I know she isn't right for him? I'm supposed to protect him, not encourage him to make the biggest mistake of his life."

"You're missing something here. Jason didn't come to you or confide in you. I don't think you get a say."

She crossed her arms as she pouted.

Sonny sighed. "I really don't understand why you think Elizabeth is so bad. You cross him, you'll lose him."

She stood and then walked out, even more determined to talk to her friend.

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A few hours later, Jason looked down at his phone and rolled his eyes. Carly had called about a gazillion times. Then his gaze dropped down further and he cursed and checked his messages. He replayed Liz's voice at least five times before alerting Johnny.

"I can't believe she called you after all this time."

"She sounds good."

"She sounds like she misses you."

"Maybe she's just letting me know that she met someone else and she's not coming back," Jason said sadly.

"You're not giving up are you?"

"No."

Johnny glanced at his screen. "You gonna call Carly back? You know she'll just harass you until you do. Besides, she'll eat up all your voice mail space and possibly cause another seizure."

Jason smirked and dialed.

"Hello?"

"What do you want?"

Carly's mouth dropped open and she ran into her office. "Where are you?"

"I think you already know what I'm doing. What was so urgent that you needed to call me over and over?"

"Don't be like that. I found out what was going on and I was devastated. I love you, Jase."

"I know. Look, I'm really busy and I need to keep this line clear."

"Why didn't you say goodbye?" Her voice cracked and he closed his eyes, feeling a little guilty for being so abrasive.

"There wasn't time. I needed to go."

"You have to get better. I don't think I can make it without you."

"You can. You have your whole life ahead of you and you always made it before me."

"With you, I wanted to be a better person. I tried."

Jason was quiet. "I think in ways, I'm not good for you."

"How can you say that? You stop me from doing crazy things."

"That's my point. You should be able to stop yourself."

She softly cried.

"Carly, I can't do this right now. I need to focus."

"Why her? You could have spent this time with people who love you like me, Sonny, and Michael. Why Elizabeth?"

"I love her and I need her to know that."

"You could get a message to her. She can't handle this life, Jason. She rejected you and ran."

"Because I didn't tell her the truth and I pushed her away. I threw away the first chance that I got to be with her."

Carly rolled her eyes. "It was business."

"And if we didn't tell you the truth?"

"I'm his wife. It's different. You guys were barely dating."

"But our relationship started before that. Look, I'm not going to sit here and defend my love for her. If by some miracle I make it through this, if you can't accept her, then we're done."

"Don't you ever say that again!"

"It's just the way it is. I have to go."

"I love you Jase."

"I love you too."

And with that, he was gone and she completely broke.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N – Thanks for the comments. I'm glad you like the progress. * Guest – She knows she had time. You aren't really trying to understand why Liz and Francis made the choices they did. I get not liking their choices, but Jason was the one that pushed her away and lied in the first place. Can't you see how that would affect her trust? * Other Guest – Of course it's disappointing, just like it was on the show. At least her intention is to tell him and go back to PC. I knew people wouldn't like Liz's choices. I didn't like them on the show, but she is not being malicious. She's young and scared. * Wendi – I kind of get that Jason turned off and just thought it was the cards he was dealt, but there is no way in hell I would have put up with her. Lol. I know! I cover a lot. I might make the last chapter a little longer. I've written all but the last paragraph.

Chapter 3

Jason probably listened to Elizabeth's message ten more times.

"You're going to drive yourself crazy," Milo said sitting across from him.

"Too late."

"She's close. I can feel it."

An emotionally exhausted Jason lazily glanced up. "I hope that you're right."

"Call it the Giambetti intuition."

"Milo, I need you to work on your listening skills."

"What do you mean?"

"You have to tune into the environment around you and be very quiet. You and Max chat a lot and things catch you by surprise. I don't chat, but it's not because I'm completely unsocial. It's because I'm always listening and assessing people and what they don't say."

"I get it." He was surprised that Jason was trying to mentor him at a time like this.

"I don't want anything bad to happen to you and your brother. You've been loyal. Just work on that and you'll be an excellent guard."

"Thank you. I was thinking of taking a course at PCU. It's a class on behavioral analysis and it teaches you to read people."

Jason had learned that the hard way. "Sounds good. You should because it could save your life and it will help you get information out of people."

"Alright, I will. Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you walk away after what Sonny and Carly did?"

Jason closed his eyes. "It was complicated. To me, they were all I had at the time. I wasn't speaking to the Quartermaines for the most part. Carly, Sonny, and Michael basically became my new family. I was scared of being alone so I just shut myself off—burying my feelings. It was the cards that I had been dealt. Loyalty is one of the most important things when you're in the mob. So, I did what I was told. People think I don't feel, so I gave them what they expected of me."

"Essentially, you gave up and shut down. Do you feel the same way now?" It was almost like Jason was punishing himself.

"No. If that had happened today, I would cut them off completely and walk away. I've seen and done too much not to learn from my past mistakes. Maybe it took walking away from Elizabeth this last time to make me see that I'm putting the wrong things first."

"And if you make it through this?"

"I don't know. Part of me would want to just disappear with her and start a new life."

"Maybe you should."

Jason's eyes snapped open.

"We'd miss you, but hopefully, you'd let us know where you were eventually and that you were okay. Jason, you have spent years putting everyone else but yourself first. Maybe it's time you try to find some happiness. I know you liked the adrenaline of your job, but I don't think you were happy."

"I wasn't. I felt like I had already lost so much. Losing Robin and Michael had really set me back. I didn't think anyone could really love me. It just seemed like it was too hard. Carly said she loved me, but I realize now that you don't do what she did to me regarding Michael and Sonny if you really love and respect someone. She doesn't get the concept. Elizabeth came along and she was like this light in the darkness and helped me open back up a little. She had a big heart and was always taking care of other people. I was crushed when Lucky came back, so I left and then everything still crashed and burned when I returned. When she had told me that she wanted to try, I was so scared of screwing it up. Then the whole thing with Sonny happened and I pushed her away so I didn't have to lie and it killed us. Once again, I didn't put my happiness first. I didn't fight for her because I thought she hated me and I felt really bad for hurting her. She was one of the few people that I actually cared how they felt about me. She always saw the good in me and when we broke up, I just thought no one would ever see that in me again."

"If you need help disappearing, I will do everything I can to make it happen." Jason and Elizabeth deserved happiness.

"Thank you Milo. That means more than you know. I have a lot to think about."

"I'll leave you to it then." He stood and his phone vibrated. "Richie?"

"I just saw her."

Milo put the phone on speaker. "He just saw her."

Jason's heart sped up as waited for details. "Are you sure? Where?"

"Yes. I'm on the outskirts of Guelph. I was at a light. She came out of a bakery with a man. I couldn't see his face because he had on a hat and was looking down. They got in a red pickup truck with a blue sticker on the back. I couldn't see the license plate."

"Are you following them?"

"No. I couldn't run the light because there was a cop car next to me."

"Shit."

"I'm driving the direction they went, but because of the way the road bends, I couldn't see where they turned. There is no sign of them."

Jason cursed. "Keep on it. Good work."

Milo ended the call. "I'll go to the next town over and I'll send Logan to another. We know she's close." He rushed out and Jason hit the bed with his fist. They had to find her before it was too late.

They searched throughout the night, but there was no sign of the red pickup truck or Elizabeth.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

The next morning, Jason had another seizure. It was bad and had taken a huge toll on his body. Stan was working feverishly to find Elizabeth's whereabouts and had it narrowed down to two hospitals. Richie and Milo were on their way to do a search.

Elizabeth didn't have a shift until three o'clock, so unfortunately, they would come back empty handed.

Patrick walked towards Liz. "Hey beautiful."

"Hi Patrick."

"You do have a nice glow going on."

She shook her head. "I saw you in a pretty heated phone conversation. Are you okay?"

"It was with my dad. He has this patient he's been treating that has some sort of chip in his head. It's really high tech stuff and he chickened out and wouldn't operate. If I had that kind of opportunity, I would have at least attempted it. The guy is going to die anyway. Apparently, he had forty-eight hours to live."

"But he won't budge?"

"No, and the patient took off, so he couldn't try if he wanted to now."

"How horrible for that man. I can't imagine knowing that I would die in two days." She rubbed her belly, trying to sooth the baby. It had just started moving a lot more. She was in her seventh month.

"Is my protégé giving you problems?"

She chuckled. "He is restless."

"He can assist me in a surgery if he wants. It's not a long one."

"You're on."

"Alright Abbie, let's do this."

They went to scrub in.

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Everyone had moved into the same room at the hotel to work. They didn't want to let Jason out of their sight. His condition was worsening rapidly.

Johnny stood suddenly, demanding their attention. Stan was on face chat. "I've got it. Francis's two favorite movie characters are Roger Kint from The Usual Suspects and Henry Hill from Goodfellas. Stan, try combinations of those two names."

Stan began to quickly type names into his program.

"Good call," Jason said. He closed his eyes as Johnny paced and waited for Stan to say anything.

"There is a Henry Kint that lives in Branchton. He works at Hamilton General Hospital. It's a pretty big trauma center." They had checked there, but Elizabeth wasn't on.

Jason stunned. "Maybe he's with her. Does he have a roommate?" The timing added up and it was something that Francis would do. The man would give his life for Elizabeth. They hadn't considered it because of how upset Francis was when he quit. He had convinced them he was going abroad to disappear for a while and that he'd call them after he got his head on straight.

Stan typed for a couple of minutes. "Yes, a woman. Her name is Abbie Gallagher."

"That could be Elizabeth. Search her name."

Richie wrote down the house address. "I'm checking out the house."

He left and they all focused on the computer screen.

"She's a nurse at the same place. Looks like she hasn't been registered in Canada for that long."

"Let's go," Jason said. "How far is it?"

"It's a straight shot, about forty-six minutes. Traffic looks good."

Johnny wrote down the address and then helped Jason stand. They made it to the car and prayed the whole way that Jason would make it.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Jason stumbled into the ER, sweat beading on his face as he struggled to catch his breath. His eyes raked the room, looking for a glimpse, but not finding what he needed. He started to advance with Johnny holding him up the best he could. A shocked Francis spotted them and ran forward. Right before he reached them Jason dropped to his knees, dragging Johnny down.

"Abbie!" Francis yelled.

His voice echoed off the walls and everyone stopped and looked at him. Liz came from around the corner, looking at a file as she walked. Suddenly, she realized that it was quiet—too quiet. Feeling vulnerable, her eyes scanned the room for Francis and that is when she saw the man she loved breathing heavily, his eyes glazed. "Jason?" she whispered. The file slipped from her hand and she ran as quickly as she could towards him. Her mind was reeling. He was hurt, that was the only explanation for him being on the floor. She skidded to a stop and dropped to her knees. "Jason, talk to me. Where are you hurt?"

He almost burst into tears when he saw her face. She looked so beautiful. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I love you Elizabeth. It has always been you since you found me in the snow." She gasped as he started to have a seizure, collapsing to the floor. A gurney was pushed towards him and doctors converged on the scene. "Never forget that I love you. Please," he said weakly.

She was left stunned as she was pulled back. "No! Let me go!"

Francis had a tight grip on her. "Let them help him."

Jason was barely conscious as they lifted him onto the gurney.

"I love you. I need you to fight. Fight for me! Fight for our baby!" Liz screamed.

That was the last thing he heard before everything went black. Johnny was talking to the doctors, explaining the situation. Patrick Drake looked at him glumly. His father was tops in their field, the only difference between them was that Patrick was willing to take a risk. He walked towards Elizabeth, a person that he had grown to respect in a short time. "If I don't do the surgery, he'll die. If I do, there's a good chance he'll die too." He had already texted his father to send him the scans immediately and after Noah told him when the time would run out, he cursed under his breath, knowing they wasn't much left.

Liz took a languid breath. "He is the father of my baby. I love him. Save him Patrick. I believe in you."

He reached out and touched her arm. "I'll do my best."

She watched him move away and then blinked twice before collapsing against Francis. He sat her down and Johnny placed his hands on her face, making her focus on him. "I missed you."

Her eyes filled with tears. "I missed you too. Tell me what's going on."

He sat next to her. "A doctor put a chip in his head. There's only a couple of hours left before it will be activated and it will kill him."

"Who—who would do something like that?" She was trying to suck in air, but it was stale and she was struggling to get it together.

"We don't know. Stan is on it. We just found out yesterday. He refused to stay in the hospital because he wanted you to know that he loved you. I've never seen anything like it. I know he's stubborn, but he took it to another level this time."

She was almost speechless. "I shouldn't have left, but I saw them kissing and I just lost it. My heart was already broken and that just sent me over the edge."

"You did what you had to do. He understood, but Elizabeth, Jason was never with Courtney. She kissed him. He didn't return it." Sonny had unfortunately fed Courtney's obsessions by having Jason at her beck and call. They had checked her out to make sure she had nothing to do with the chip and could find no evidence suggesting she did.

She burst out in tears as the dam broke and Johnny felt like shit. Francis held her as she let out some of her emotions.

"We've wasted so much time."

"I'm sorry," Johnny whispered.

Elizabeth embraced him warmly. "It's not your fault. Thank you for telling me the truth."

"I can't believe that you're pregnant," he said staring at her bump.

She slightly smiled. "I didn't know when I left." They had only made love one time, but that was all it took.

"Can I touch it?"

She nodded and watched him carefully lay his hand down.

"Does it move a lot?"

"He can get pretty active."

"It's a boy?"

"Yes."

They were interrupted by one of her colleagues. "Abbie, I just signed you out. They just took him back."

"Thanks Ellen."

A few of her co-workers came by to console her. They were given coffee and water and for the next two hours, they waited and prayed that Jason would survive. The alternative just wasn't acceptable.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

A weary Patrick walked into the waiting room. Elizabeth had nodded off and Francis shook her. She jumped up, panicking when she saw her friend's face. "Patrick?"

"He's alive. We won't know if it worked until he wakes up. To be honest, I'm not sure he will. It was rough. The location of the chip—let's just say that it was the most difficult surgery I have ever performed."

She whimpered and then hugged him. "You did your best. Thank you."

He looked at the men as he held her tightly. They looked beat down and he hid nothing in his expression. Jason might not wake up. Even if he did, he might not be the same person.

Francis placed his head in his hands. If Jason did wake up, they needed a plan so he would be protected.

Johnny's phone buzzed and when it saw it was Stan, he got up and walked away. "Talk to me."

"They got Devlin. He's not sharing anything, so they are trying to make him talk now."

"Jason survived, but we won't know if he'll make it. He's in the I.C.U."

"I'll text you as soon as I know something."

He ended the call and turned towards the group. "Francis."

His friend got up and joined him.

"They got Devlin, but he won't give up whoever set this in motion, we might have to go through extremes to hide Jason."

"Are you talking about faking his death?"

Johnny nodded.

"Elizabeth is going to hate this after everything that went down with Sonny."

"I know. She is already living under an assumed name. She can keep it. The nurse put down Jason's name as Jake Moore. No one will look for him under that name. If he recovers, we hide them."

"We may need to move him before he wakes up. I don't want to take any chances."

Johnny rubbed the back of his neck. "Abbie," he said loudly.

Elizabeth rushed over to him. "What's wrong?"

"We have the doctor who hurt Jason. If he doesn't spill, we may need to fake Jason's death."

Liz glanced away. Sonny's faked death had caused so much pain. She really didn't want to do that again. "Who would know?"

"You and us. Sonny wouldn't know and neither would Jason's family."

"No—absolutely not. Monica and Alan have suffered enough. I'm not going to make them think Jason is dead. Find another way."

"Elizabeth….."

"You will protect us. I know you will. We can go away without saying that he's dead. You can get word to Monica and Alan with an update so they at least know that Jason is safe. I won't agree to anything else."

Johnny and Francis's eyes locked. "We'll make it work," Johnny said.

Liz let out the breath she was holding. "Thank you."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N – Thanks for the comments! I'm glad you are enjoying the story! I might have to add one more chapter. I started re-writing some of the last chapter and now it's pretty long. * Guest – re: choices. It's been six months since she has been gone, not seven. She was already pregnant for a month and didn't know it. Again, her and Jason were not together, so she didn't have to tell him anything about moving away. She was gone for two months, found out she was pregnant so really, it's been 4 months that she hasn't told him about the baby. Those four months are all she is accountable for. But yes, have faith.

I borrowed a former doctor from Grey's Anatomy.

Chapter 4

Monica picked up the phone. "Jason?"

"No, it's Johnny."

She couldn't help but start to cry when she heard the tone of his voice.

"Mrs. Quartermaine, please, he had surgery and he's alive."

"What?"

"Noah Drake's son Patrick works at the hospital here. We found Elizabeth and Patrick did the surgery."

She took a languid breath. "And?"

"It was difficult and he's not sure if Jason will survive or even be the same person."

"But he's alive. I have to hold onto that or I will go crazy."

Alan held her against his body.

She put Johnny on speaker. "He made it, but it could be a day or so before he wakes up. He's not in a coma, and he's stable, just weak."

"Where are you?" Alan asked.

"I can't tell you that. Jason is still in danger. The person who ordered this probably already knows that he's not dead. He knew we were in Canada. As soon as he is stable, we need to move him to a safe place."

"Then we'll be there. We'll take a leave of absence and take care of him. I won't take no for an answer."

"We haven't figured it all out yet. I won't leave him. We're hoping that by tomorrow night, we can do an air transport."

Alan paced back and forth. "There's a private clinic in Connecticut that a friend of my runs. He's a neurosurgeon. Jason could have a private room and occupational and rehabilitation help. He might need several months of care."

"Alright, we'll do it. We were thinking of faking his death, but Elizabeth shot us down."

Monica gripped Alan's arm. "Thank God."

"I'll take care of the air ambulance. Have Dr. Drake call me," Alan said.

"Use the name Alec Moore. Give him the address of the clinic and you decide a flight time."

"Okay. We'll meet you there."

"Our guards will have to transport you. You can take Sonny's plane, but someone could be watching you, so we'll probably use another airport further away."

"So we're talking cloak and dagger?"

"Yes."

"We'll be ready and packed."

"Someone will be in touch. Thank Mr. Q."

"He's my son. I will do anything for him."

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Johnny explained the situation to Patrick and while he didn't like his patient being out of his care, he agreed to it and helped Alan make arrangements.

Elizabeth sat vigil in Jason's room, talking to him and holding his hand. Francis would make her lay down every once in a while to take naps and made sure that she was hydrated.

Johnny and Francis sat in the hallway drinking coffee.

"I can't believe it was you that helped her leave."

"She was devastated. I didn't want her to go, but I figured at least one of us would know where she is and could help her if necessary."

"I'm glad that you did. We may have never found her in time if you didn't."

"You don't know how many times I wanted to let you know that she was okay. I just didn't want to betray her confidence. If I did, she might have run and I couldn't take the chance."

"I wished you had, but again, I get why you didn't.

"How did you find us?"

"I remembered your favorite movies and Stan did the rest."

"I figured if there was an emergency, you'd figure it out."

"We didn't have a lot of time. Jason has been searching since she has been gone, but we didn't make a breakthrough until now."

Francis sighed. "When we found out she was pregnant, I kept urging her to call him, but she said she needed time and then it became that she just couldn't handle the stress. When she'd start to dial the number, her blood pressure would go through the roof and once, she was even hospitalized. We talked not long after that and she promised that she would call him soon, but due to Carly and his job and the rest of the people who would look down on her, she just decided that she had to put her and the baby first and make sure she was healthy before going home. She kept a book with her milestones and ultrasound photos for him. It was emotional for her, because she hated keeping it from him."

"If she was in Port Charles, she would have taken a lot of shit from people who can't mind their own business."

"I agree. It was the only reason that I went along with keeping it from him temporarily."

"We can't tell Sonny."

Francis was surprised he would agree to that. "I won't argue with that. The fewer people who know where he is the better." Sonny might tell Carly and that would just set off a shit storm.

Johnny answered his phone. "Hello?" It was around midnight, so he was surprised to hear from his boss.

"I couldn't sleep. How is he?"

"He made it through surgery."

"Now what?"

"Sonny, we're going to take him to a private hospital so he can recover. We need to get out of here as soon as possible."

"I agree. Where are you taking him? I'll meet you there."

"No. We think it's best that only a very few people know."

Sonny felt a little affronted.

"I know this is extreme, but he barely made it. I can't risk anyone being followed. Please. We have to do what is best for Jason."

Sonny plopped into his office chair. "Fine, but you have to get word to me whenever you can about his condition."

"Agreed."

"Who are you keeping?"

"Milo if that is okay. I will send Richie and Logan back after the move. Francis is here."

Sonny was aware that Francis was involved. He wasn't sure what to think of situation. "Can you trust him?"

"With my life."

"Alright. Let me know once you are settled."

Johnny texted Stan and made sure he knew that he couldn't give Sonny any updates from now on unless he approved it.

"He asked you if he could trust me, didn't he?"

"Yeah."

"I guess I have a lot of explaining to do."

"You protected Elizabeth and kept her and the baby safe. He can't be mad at that."

Francis leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes, hoping that Jason would feel that way when he woke up.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

The day was mainly spent monitoring Jason. He still wasn't awake.

"His brain activity looks pretty good all things considered."

"Why isn't he waking up then?" Liz asked.

"His body underwent a lot of stress the last few days. It might be a several more days before he's able to stay awake. Frankly, as long as he's not in distress and his brainwaves look good, I'm okay with that. His body needs the rest."

"And it's safe to move him?"

"Well, I won't lie. I'm completely against it, but apparently, if he stays here whoever put that chip in his head will come after him."

"You know who he is now?"

"Yes. I had a rather lively conversation with my father and he knows to shut his mouth about all of this. Jason's secret is safe with me," Patrick said. He didn't approve of Jason's lifestyle, but Elizabeth loved him and she was a good person, so that was enough for him not to completely judge his patient.

"Thank you, Patrick. I know this is highly unusual."

"It is. How did you meet him anyway?"

She smiled fondly. "Well, we were introduced by an ex and then one day he rescued me in a bar and it just grew from there. He has a good heart and he's been through a lot—we've been through a lot. I should have called him sooner. I thought that he had moved on when he hadn't and then later I found out I was pregnant and I wasn't ready to go back to the craziness."

"You were protecting the baby?"

"Yes, but it wasn't from Jason. It was his job and our friends and family. They have always judged us. I didn't need the stress."

"And now what?"

"We figure out who did this to him and move on. I don't know the where and how, all I know is that I'm never leaving him again. He knew he was going to die and the only thing he wanted was to find me and tell me that he loved me."

"That's some powerful stuff."

"Yeah."

"You know you can call me anytime. I consider you a friend."

"Thank you Patrick. I would love to keep up our friendship. You can't call me by my real name though."

"I know. I heard Johnny called you Elizabeth at first. He hasn't since then. I don't think anyone else heard it."

"We're trying to be careful."

"I understand."

"Is it really safe to move him tonight?"

"He should be fine. There are risks though, you know that."

She nodded. They had to take them. Right now, they had no choice."

Milo and Francis were packing up their apartment. Richie was going to make sure it was discretely delivered to a house close to the facility. It was big enough for them all to live there, including Monica and Alan. Everything was coming along nicely.

About an hour before the flight, as Liz was talking to Patrick, Jason's eyes briefly opened.

"It could be a reflex type movement, but it's good. His body is trying to come back."

"I hope he forgives me," she said quietly.

"He risked his life to get to you. I don't think you have anything to worry about." She left the room and took a quick shower and changed before they took him to the roof. He would be flown via helicopter to the air ambulance. It was safer that way. Liz was the only one traveling with them. Francis was already at the plane and Johnny and Milo were driving some of their luggage. They would have to go shopping for clothes when they got there.

Everything ran smoothly and soon they were up in the air.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Monica and Alan sat in an office, waiting for Jason to arrive. It was really early in the morning. They were hopped up on coffee and used to the weird hours.

"Derek, it's nice to see you."

He shook Alan's hand. "Thanks for trusting me."

Alan had done a lot of consulting with Dr. Derek Shepherd the last five years. He was impressive and had done a few surgeries at G.H. when Noah wasn't available.

"So, I was reading up about your son and looking over his medical records. He's had a lot of brain trauma in the past which concerns me. Patrick did a great job getting the device out, now it's my turn to see what I can do to insure that he has a normal life."

Monica had been quiet.

"Hello Monica, it's good to see you too."

She smiled and they hugged. "I wish it was under better circumstances."

"They should be landing about now and then he'll be transferred."

"He'll have guards and his girl friend Elizabeth will be accompanying him."

"That's fine. I'll have them put a bed in the room."

"We'll have to use fake names. You already know Jason's. Please refer to Liz as Abbie and I'm Alec Moore and this is Dawn."

Derek smirked. "Interesting life you lead."

"There's never a dull moment."

A nurse walked in.

"Kyla this is Alec and Dawn Moore. Their son Jake will be arriving soon. No one can know they are here."

"Of course, doctor. I will make sure that he has the same staff every day."

They were used to these kinds of arrangements. There were several doctors on staff, allowing them enough room to fit in lots of teaching and consulting in larger facilities.

"I can show you his room."

They followed Derek down a long hallway and went to the corner room. It was spacious and already prepped for Jason's arrival. Alan had told him to spare no expense.

Monica was happy that it had some light. It had a great view of grassy area.

Derek left and the couple embraced.

"We have a chance to show our son how much we want him in our lives," Alan said. It had killed him to walk away from Jason, but he just couldn't condone the dark career Jason had chosen.

"It's going to be tough. I have a feeling rehab won't be easy."

"Derek said that he could be here a couple of months."

They really weren't sure what they would be working with. An hour later, an unconscious Jason was wheeled into the room and they stepped back as he was carefully moved and all the tubes were adjusted.

About twenty minutes later, Elizabeth and Johnny walked into the room. Milo and Francis had gone to the house to tend to the unpacking.

Monica gasped as her eyes connected with Liz's stomach. "You're pregnant."

Liz nodded. "Yes."

"Is it Jason's?"

"Yes."

"Does he know?" Monica asked.

Johnny directed Liz to a chair and the three of them sat down.

"I told him when he collapsed, but I don't know if he'll remember. When I left, I didn't know. I found out a few months later and then I decided I wasn't ready to come back or deal with the stress of everyone coming down on me, so I stayed where I was and took some tests to be a nurse in Canada. I called Jason recently and told him that we need to talk. He didn't pick up the phone, so I left him a message. My plan was to tell him when it was closer to my due date. I've kept the secret for four months. My doctor said that I need to keep my blood pressure down. Before I left Port Charles, I mistakenly thought Jason was with Courtney which is why I bolted. I loved him and couldn't bare seeing him with someone else. Maybe deep down inside I needed him to fight for me and he didn't, so I pushed him away harder. I was so mad." She wiped a tear away and Alan put his arm around her.

"While I'm not happy with you for keeping this from my son, I guess I understand why you didn't want to come back. Carly is shrew on a good day," Monica said.

Liz slightly smiled through her tears. "It wasn't just her. I have friends and a grandmother who wouldn't be thrilled due to the danger. They just can't see me with anyone but Lucky."

"Well, I think you and Jason need to work on trust. Part of me probably should admire that for once, you did what you thought was best for you instead of doing what everyone else would have wanted you do. I don't think you should worry about my son's reaction, because he would never walk away from his child. He has a big heart. I understand your health was suspect, but you could have told him under the condition that he didn't tell anyone else."

"I'm sorry. I didn't keep it from him to hurt or punish him. I thought I was doing the right thing for me and the baby."

Monica sighed. She wasn't going to beat a dead horse. This was really between Liz and Jason anyway. "We have all made mistakes. I know I have made some huge ones. Elizabeth, have you ever had counseling because of your relationship with your family?" She was well versed in Liz's history due to the young woman's friendship with Emily.

"No."

"What about the rape?"

Liz shook her head.

"Maybe you should. I think you'd be surprised how much they affect your decision making and your self-esteem."

"I will consider it." She knew Monica was right. She carried a lot of baggage for someone her age.

"How far along are you?"

"I'm in my seventh month. It's a boy."

"Well you look beautiful," Alan said. "I always considered you a part of the family due to your friendship with Emily, that hasn't changed."

Some machines started to blare and Derek rushed into the room and barked some commands as the Q's and Liz held their breath.

Jason's body was twitching since he was having a seizure.

Finally, when it had relaxed, Derek did some tests and then turned to address them.

"That's probably going to happen a few times since his body is healing. We are alerted as soon as it happens, so help will come fast." He strode towards them. "Hi. You must be Abbie. I'm Derek."

"Hello. It's nice to meet you."

"Congratulations."

Liz smiled. "Thank you." Derek was definitely a handsome man. She was thinking if Emily wasn't with Nikolas, they would make a striking couple.

"There's a small fridge in the corner. It has some water bottles in it. We have a cafeteria that has fruit and snacks as well as meals. You should make sure you keep hydrated and maintain your stamina."

"I will. Thank you."

"I'll have Kyla walk you around. We have some gardens and an area where you relax and enjoy being outside."

"That sounds lovely," Monica said.

"Alright, he's stable. I'm going to check on another patient."

He left and Alan handed Liz a water bottle.

"Thank you."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N – Thanks for the comments! * AlixMM – Definitely wasn't Monica's intention. She wanted Liz to know that Jason wouldn't abandon Jake even if he were dating someone else (Liz's fear re: Courtney). She wasn't referring to their personal relationship. She knows they love each other. Jason already proved his love for Liz. Thanks!

Alright, I went a little crazy adding to the last chapter and now I have 8 chapters (last one is slightly short). I am done because I need to concentrate on the new fic. You guys always wish the ficlets were longer lol. I just like giving you a slice of Liason so I can deal with certain themes, but not feel like I'm writing the same thing over and over.

I read several first accounts of people recovering from brain surgery to come up with Jason's reactions.

Chapter 5

Monica waited for her to finish. Elizabeth's hand gripped her side changing Monica's focus to her belly.

"Is he moving?"

"Yes. Would you like to feel?"

Monica quickly went to her side and then moved her hand, trying to find the baby. After a few seconds she felt something poke her hand and grinned.

"He's a little active this morning."

"It's because he knows his daddy is near."

"I hope he has Lila's eyes."

Alan smiled. "I would like that too."

When Monica sat down, Liz got up and took Jason's hand and kissed it. He had ventilator tube, but he still looked peaceful. Patrick had used the smallest incision that he could, using the one from the original surgery. The first surgeon really knew what he was doing. He had used one drill hole to implant the tiny device, so Jason could get back on his feet. The problem was all the damage Jason had occurred since then. He had a lot of seizures and getting the device out also complicated things. It was a waiting game that everyone hoped would turn out okay.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

About an hour later, Johnny asked Elizabeth to go for a walk with him.

"Is something going on?"

"No. You need to stretch your legs and get away from the stress for a minute."

"I'm fine, but I'll go."

"I'm worried about you. Will you promise me that if you aren't feeling well or you feel like your blood pressure is too high that you'll talk to Monica?" Watching Jason struggle was hard on all of them.

"Okay."

They found a spot in the grass and Johnny sat behind her to give her some stability. Elizabeth closed her eyes and Johnny leaned back on his hands and then eventually rearranged them so Liz had her head on his stomach as he fully laid on the ground. He watched the clouds roll by as she napped.

Monica joined them a while later. "It's a beautiful day. Thanks for getting her out of the room. She needed the fresh air."

"Can you take her blood pressure every once in a while?"

Monica nodded. "Sure."

"Are you settled in at the house?"

"Yes. We picked a room. I wasn't sure which one to take. One of the rooms, I thought would be perfect for Elizabeth. It has a covered balcony. I think it's the master."

"I'm sure she'll like it."

"Were you and Liz close?"

"I guarded her here and there. She's a good person and makes everyone around her smile."

"She has a big heart."

"Yeah. She's always taking care of everyone else, so I want to take care of her. Jason fought hard to get back to her. I've never seen anything like it. Sometimes, he was in so much pain and I watched him have seizure after seizure, but he refused to die or give up before he saw her. The last few hours, he was a mess. I almost had to drag him into the hospital. He's in love with her and Jason is like a brother to me. I'd die for him and I would do the same for her."

"You're a good man Johnny."

"I don't know about all that."

Liz turned so her head was facing him. Her eyes were still shut but she had a slight smile. "Take the compliment."

"How long have you been awake?"

"For a minute." She heard him talking about Jason. And just like that she was sleeping again.

Monica chuckled. "I hope you're comfortable, because you might be here for a while."

"I don't think so. See those clouds?"

Monica looked up and smelled the air and then stood up. "Run for it."

Liz groaned when she felt her body get pushed forward. Suddenly, Johnny scooped her up and was running towards the building. She reached her arms up and held on. Monica pulled the door open and Johnny just made it inside before the downpour started. Liz laid her head on his shoulder as he carried her back to the room. The bed was now there, so he laid her on it and threw a blanket over her.

"That was close," Monica said.

Throughout the day, Jason remained stable. Francis stayed with him while everyone went back to the house to eat. It had taken a lot of convincing, but Elizabeth agreed. She was bone tired and Derek had ordered her to go home. Monica assured her that she'd stay in the room with Jason overnight. Francis agreed to guard them, so Johnny came back to the house. Milo stayed in his car at the hospital, so he could monitor people coming and going.

For two weeks, Jason stayed in his deep sleep. His body would move every once in a while, but that was it.

"Alan, I want to take out the vent. It's not good to have it in so long. I think his breathing has become more stable."

"I agree."

He stayed unconscious while they eased it, still leaving in the feeding tube. Every day, a physical therapist came in and massaged Jason's feet, arms, and legs. They were moved around and tests were done to see if he would respond to outside stimuli.

Elizabeth was doing well. Everyone worked to remind her to drink and eat and she went on a walk every day with Johnny or Francis. By the third week, Alan knew that one of them was going to have to go back to the General Hospital.

"I'll go," Alan said.

"Thank you. I don't think I could leave."

"I understand."

If they weren't both cardiologists, it probably wouldn't be as big of an issue. Their absence had left the hospital with a gaping hole.

"I'll make arrangements with Francis to smuggle me back into town."

They embraced.

And that is when they heard it.

"Did he just speak?"

They rushed over to the bed.

"Jason?"

A minute later, he muttered Elizabeth's name.

"He's dreaming," Alan said.

"How is that possible?" Monica asked. He never could after the accident.

"I don't know. Derek said that there was no way to tell what had changed."

Derek walked into the room after he was alerted of the spike in Jason's brainwaves. "Anything happen?"

"He spoke in his sleep twice."

"That's good. He's waking up."

He checked his eyes and reflexes.

Elizabeth and Johnny walked into the room. "Is something wrong?"

"No. He said your name in his sleep," Monica said.

Liz grinned. "He's coming back to us."

They waited, but he didn't say anything else so everyone sat.

"I think he'll wake up in the next twenty-four hours."

Liz started to cry she was so happy. She was almost in her last month of pregnancy and had really gotten bigger the last few weeks. Everyone had been taking turns rubbing her back and she had to put her feet up. And God knows she was starving all the time. One of the pediatricians on staff gave her checkups and an ultrasound which Monica and Alan had attended. She was doing very well.

The baby kicked and she sucked in a harsh breath.

Johnny put his hand on her belly and grinned when he immediately felt a jab.

"He is really rambunctious today," Liz said. "And unfortunately, he keeps sitting on my bladder."

Everyone was entranced by her stomach and didn't notice that Jason's eyes were open.

Once the room came into focus, he was stunned by the sight in front of him. Elizabeth was huge and it didn't make sense. His head ached and he started to get agitated. When he slightly groaned from the pain, all eyes were on him.

"Holy shit," Johnny said.

Alan helped Liz stand and they walked over to the bed.

"Jason?"

A tear rolled down his cheek as he watched her cry. Where was he? Was she with someone else? Why were his parents there? He struggled to talk but couldn't, making him more upset.

"Jason, you are in the hospital. You had brain surgery. They got the disk out and you've been unconscious for three weeks," Monica said as Derek and a team of doctors rushed into the room.

Derek leaned over him. "I'm Dr. Shepherd. You're doing okay Jason, so I need you to try to breathe a little deeper. Your body is waking up, so you might not be able to talk. Can you blink once if you understand me?"

Jason slowly blinked.

"Very good. Can you squeeze my hand?"

Jason tried, but his body wasn't listening to him and he was pissed.

"I know you're upset, but you have to calm down. I don't want to sedate you."

Liz leaned against Johnny for support.

Jason glared and Johnny couldn't help it and smiled. "Asshole," Jason thought. Were Johnny and Elizabeth together?

"Did you see that glare? My boy is back," Johnny said.

"Don't goad him," Liz said. "He looks confused."

Derek watched Jason's brainwaves spike and turned away from the machine. "Whatever you did, do it again."

Liz frowned as Johnny placed his hand on her belly and rubbed.

"Wow. Does he like you?" Derek asked with a smile. It reminded him of his friend Mark.

Johnny chuckled. "He thinks I'm hitting on his girl."

"Jason, Johnny and Elizabeth are not together. They are just friends."

Jason seemed to slightly relax even though he still wished he could wipe the smirk off Johnny's face. He was so thirsty and he could even ask for anything. As if he could read Jason's mind, Derek washed his hands, put on some gloves and then a nurse walked in and handed him a cup.

"I know you're thirsty, but you can't have water right now because you'd probably throw it up. Can you open your mouth?"

Jason tried but nothing happened and he started to panic again.

"It's okay. Your motor skills are going to be off for a while."

The nurse propped open his mouth and Jason felt the coldness and closed his eyes. It felt so good. It quickly dissolved and he opened his eyes again, pleading with them for another.

"You can't have too much. I don't want you to vomit."

He put another in and Jason relished it. He was bone tired and he swore he was hallucinating because Derek started to float and then he started seeing blood everywhere. The walls were dripping with it and he thought he was in hell. Derek's voice jarred him back to the present.

"It's okay to go to sleep. That is what you will mainly do for the next few days."

Jason closed his eyes and Johnny made Elizabeth lie down.

Derek knelt next to her. "Are you okay?"

She nodded and then started to cry.

His eyes softened. "Hormones?"

She nodded again.

"It's okay. Rest. I don't know when he'll open his eyes again."

"Okay."

He got up. "Do you have any questions?"

Monica and Alan knew the drill.

"When can he have water?" Johnny asked.

"It might take a bit. We'll start with ice chips and see if he can keep the water down."

"Why did he look so confused?"

"Well, due to the trauma, his body isn't responding to his commands. Things we take for granted like chewing or moving hands or toes, will be difficult until he gets his bearings. He also may hallucinate the first couple of days due to the drugs. Does he speak another language?"

Monica shrugged, so Johnny answered.

"He speaks Italian and some Spanish."

Liz was surprised about the Spanish. Jason had told her he knew a little Italian once.

"Well, don't be shocked if he speaks one of them first."

"Francis and Milo speak Italian and I can speak Spanish."

"Good. By the end of the week, we should know what we're working with. We can start dialing back the heavier drugs. Even though Patrick used a small incision, nerves will be healing and he did drill through bone. It's painful and he might have migraines."

"Thank for explaining."

"You're welcome. I'm sure Monica and Alan can answer questions too. I know this is a little different from the first one, but someone of his reactions will be the same."

Derek left and Monica sat on bed and rubbed Liz's back.

"Feels good."

"Rest sweetie."

They would all need it. The next week was worse than they thought as Jason's frustration grew. Alan went back home and reported back to the family. Jason hadn't spoken yet, but that was all about to change.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Liz and Johnny were playing cards. She was getting really good. Monica was reading a magazine and that is when they heard it. A string of Italian.

Johnny whipped out his phone and told Milo to come into the building now.

Monica went over to the bed. "Sweetie, you have to speak in English."

Jason frowned. He had no idea what the hell she was talking about. Why couldn't they understand him? He started spouting off more words and Milo practically skidded into the room. "He's asking why can't you understand him. He is speaking English."

Jason looked at Milo like he was crazy when he started speaking to him in Italian. "Why are you speaking to me in another language?"

Now it was Milo's turn to frown. "He can't understand me, but he's speaking fluent Italian."

Liz moved towards the bed and her gaze locked with Jason's. She was definitely going to have him speak Italian to her when he was better.

"What's wrong with her stomach?"

Milo interpreted and Liz touched Jason's arm.

"I'm pregnant with your son."

Jason rattled off a bunch of words.

"He doesn't understand how that is possible when he has never slept with you."

"Jason, you don't remember, but we did once. It was right before Sonny faked his death."

He just couldn't make sense of it. "Why can't I remember anything?"

Everyone waited for Milo to interpret.

"It's the surgery. What do you remember last?" Monica asked.

Jason paused and thought for a moment. "Michael—baby. Robin left me. Elizabeth—snow—shot."

They let him think for another minute.

"Lucky."

"I'm not with him anymore," Liz said. "My heart belongs to you."

That seemed to stun him quiet and then in English he said, "Always loved you."

Liz's eyes filled with tears. "I did too."

Derek walked into the room. "How's the patient?"

"He speaks great Italian," Milo said.

"Any English?"

"Three words."

"Jason, can you speak to me?"

He began to rattle off Italian again.

Milo laughed. "He's thirsty and wants a cold beer, and a restraining order against all doctors and nurses."

Derek chuckled. "I'm afraid your body isn't ready for alcohol yet and you better get used to me, because you're going to be here for a while."

Jason glared.

"That isn't going to work on me. I will let you sip some water though."

His eyes widened.

Monica poured him some and put a straw in it. "You have to suck."

At first, Jason couldn't do it, but Monica demonstrated and when the water flowed into his mouth, he sucked it hungrily.

Monica pulled it back. "Slow Jason."

He nodded and she gave him a little more. Just that little action was making him feel good, like he had really achieved something.

"You're doing well Jason. A therapist is going to come in today to exercise your legs and arms." Jason being in such great shape would definitely help his recovery.

He said, thank you in Italian.

Derek left and Liz sat next to him and grabbed his hand and kissed it.

"Are you okay?"

She looked at Milo and then said. "I'm fine."

Slowly, she stood and then took his hand and placed it on her belly. A tear rolled down his cheek. The baby moved and Liz smiled at the look on Jason's face. "He has been kicking a lot."

Jason was in awe. He was going to be a dad.

"I was thinking about naming him Jake. I thought Jacob Alan Morgan would be nice. After all, I think it all started at Jake's."

"It's perfect."

"I'm so happy you'll be awake for his birth. I'm due in about a month."

The realization of his condition and hers hit him all at once and became very emotional.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N – Thanks for the comments! Glad you're happy with the Jason scenes!

Chapter 6

Liz put down the railing and then Milo went on the other side and moved Jason over.

Johnny picked Liz up and laid her next to him.

She snuggled against his chest and held him as he cried. Monica moved so she could get closer to Jason and Johnny and Milo retreated to give them privacy.

Monica stroked his hair. Liz was now crying too. "It's okay. Let it out Jason. Don't worry about the baby. I took a leave of absence. I will help Elizabeth and you. I'm not going anywhere."

He cried himself to sleep and Liz quickly followed him.

Monica stepped into the hallway. "That was rough."

"I've never seen him cry like that," Johnny said.

"He can't control it. I think it hit him that he might not be able to participate in the birth and he's also overwhelmed with his current condition."

"Yeah. I already told Sonny that Jason will need me for a while. I'm not leaving."

"Me either," Milo said.

"He is lucky to have you as friends. Thank you for wanting to take such good care of my son."

"He's a good friend to us and always has our backs. Why don't you lay down and take a nap?" Johnny suggested.

"Okay."

While they slept, Johnny updated Sonny.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Stan's mouth dropped open and then he feverishly dialed Johnny's number.

"Hello?"

"I know who it is."

Johnny sucked in a harsh breath. "Who?"

"His name is Andre Karpov. He and Sonny got into it about a year ago and then he disappeared. We thought he had given up."

The Russian mob kept trying to infiltrate their territory, but thus far had no success.

"He's a dead man walking."

"I think he tried to take Jason out as an example. Sonny and everyone else would fear him and then he'd take what he wanted."

"Do we have a lead on him?"'

"I'm working on it."

"Let me know. I wouldn't mind taking him out myself."

"I will."

At least they now had a name and could go from there.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Jason's eyes fluttered open and he stared at Elizabeth as if he was memorizing her face. "Beautiful," he whispered.

She blinked a few times and then slightly smiled. "Hi."

"Hi."

He was speaking English, it was a good start.

She reached down and took his hand and entwined their fingers. "I missed you so much." With the other hand, she traced his face with her fingers.

"Love you."

"I love you too, Jason. You are going to be fine. It will take a while, but I have faith. I'm never leaving you again. I'm so sorry. I thought you were with Courtney and I bolted. I should have talked to you. After I found out that I was pregnant, I was having some blood pressure issues and decided to hold off facing you, but that's probably just an excuse I used to buy myself more time. I kept our son a secret for the last four months because I was so scared of everyone's reaction, especially yours. If you were with Courtney, I figured that maybe you wouldn't be happy about it. I couldn't handle the stress. I'm sorry. I hope that you can forgive me."

He rattled off some Italian and Francis spoke.

"He said there is nothing to forgive and that he never wanted Courtney."

She closed her eyes as Jason spoke again.

"He said that he's not happy that you didn't trust him, but after what he did, he doesn't feel he has a right to judge you."

"You do. It's okay to be disappointed or mad at me. I should have told you right away, but thank you."

Jason's eyes moved to connect with Francis.

"Hey sleeping beauty. It's good to have you back."

"Francis."

"That's right. We'll have you up and around in no time. Don't give up."

"Okay."

"I need to get up," Liz said.

Jason's eyes filled with panic.

"It's okay. I just need to stretch."

Francis helped her stand. Jason's eyes were glued to her. Finally he looked at Francis, the fear overtaking him. Whoever had done this to him was still out there and needed his family to be safe. "Per—pro." He couldn't spit the word out. Francis moved closer.

"You listen to me. I will protect her with my life. I helped her leave because I thought it was the only way to keep an eye out for her. I was with her the entire time. I'm sorry I didn't call you and tell you about the baby or that I she was okay, but I was scared she'd run if I betrayed her confidence. I really hope you're not too upset with me. I thought it was the best way. She just needed some time."

Jason's eyes slowly closed. He was so tired. As long as he knew that Liz was protected, he could sleep. They could deal with the rest later.

Francis wasn't sure what to think, but he was glad that Jason had seemed to relax.

For the next two weeks, Jason slept a lot. He was able to grip his cup and he had stopped speaking in Italian. Everything seemed strange to him, but he was assured that it was normal.

Elizabeth spent a lot of time lying on the bed with her feet up. They were swollen and she was ready to give birth already. She watched as various therapists worked with Jason. It was slow progress, but he was alive and starting to thrive.

A week later, Elizabeth got up in the morning and went into the bathroom. Her back was killing her and when she turned from the sink, she felt a strange sensation and water gushed down her leg. Her right hand grabbed her belly. "Oh God," she muttered. She started to walk and cried out as a contraction hit her.

Jason heard her and pressed the call button.

"How can I help you Mr. Morgan?"

"Eliz—Abbie needs help."

"We'll be right there."

Johnny thought he heard Jason so he entered the room. Monica had gone to get some coffee. "Jason?"

"Elizabeth is in the bathroom. Help her."

Johnny knocked on the door. "Liz?"

"Johnny!"

"I hope you're decent cause I'm coming in." He pulled the door open and he saw her. "Shit."

A nurse tapped his arm and he stepped aside. Suddenly there were doctors and nurses swarming the room, so he walked over to Jason.

"Her water broke."

Liz had explained to Jason what would happen so he wouldn't freak out.

Elizabeth was put in a wheel chair. Her eyes locked with a scared Jason as she was pushed from the room. Kyla approached him with two male nurses. "Jake, we're going to put you in a transport chair so you can be with Abbie."

Francis moved to his side. "You can do this. Take some deep breaths. She needs you."

He pushed the panic down.

"You okay?" Kyla asked.

"Yes."

It took a bit of work, but they got him into the chair and then pushed him to a room.

Liz had already gotten an epidural and was resting. Jason had asked if Francis could come in. He wanted to make sure that Liz had enough support.

Her eyes flickered open and she slightly smiled when she saw him. "Hey."

"You okay?"

"I'm on drugs, so I'm good." She could still feel the contractions, but the medicine had taken the edge off.

They pushed him next to her and he held her hand. "You scared?"

"Yeah, but I feel better now that you're here." She looked up at Francis and smiled. He had been such a good friend and had gone to all her doctor's appointments. It just felt right that he'd be with them.

"Abbie, you are almost ready to go. Have you been in labor all night?"

"I must have been, but I thought it was something else."

"Well, let me explain what is going to happen." She gave them extra details because she knew about Jason's issues. "I think you'll be ready in about an hour."

Sure enough, the doctor was called back in an hour later and got into position. "Okay Abbie, the next time the contraction hits, I need you to push."

Over the next ten minutes, Elizabeth pushed on and off and finally, the doctor smiled. "I see the head."

Liz's eyes filled with tears.

Several pushes later, the baby slipped out.

"It's definitely a boy."

Liz was crying and a tear ran down Jason's face.

"Francis, will you help him cut the cord?"

Francis nodded and took the scissors. He grabbed Jason's hand and positioned it and then they cut it together.

The baby was cleaned and then placed in Jason's arms.

"He's so tiny."

After a minute, Francis took him and handed him to Elizabeth who checked his fingers and toes. "Perfect."

"We're going to take him for testing and then we'll bring him back in so you can feed him. Get some rest."

"Okay."

"We're going to take Jason back to his room. Since it is large, we'll put you in there too."

Jason was happy with that. "I love you."

"I love you too."

They left and the doctor's finished up with the labor process and Liz was finally brought to the room.

Jason was back in bed. Her bed was placed next to his so they could hold hands.

"You okay?"

"I'm just tired."

"Thank you."

She rubbed her thumb over his hand. "Thank you. I'm so glad we had a baby. He's perfect and very lucky to have you as a father."

"Don't want to let him down."

"You won't. We'll probably make mistakes, but we're in this together."

She drifted off until they brought the baby and taught her what to do. Jason watched her feed him. It was incredible and he felt so blessed.

Jason stayed in the hospital for another two months before he was allowed to go home. Johnny had left them at one point and tortured and killed Andre. In fact, he burnt down and killed off most of the organization with help from a large amount of Sonny's men. Since the threat was gone, they came home to Port Charles. Everyone was shocked when they showed up with a baby.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Carly walked into the penthouse. "Hey."

Jason was holding Jake. "Hi Carly."

She had been warned that he was a little different. It would probably take a year before he really felt like himself again.

"This is Jake."

"He's beautiful."

"I know."

Carly sat next to him.

"Want to hold him."

She nodded and then Jason placed the sleepy baby into her arms. Carly's eyes began to tear.

"What's wrong?"

"You're a father. I know how much you wanted to be one to Michael and now you have a son. It must make you so happy."

"It does. Can you be happy for me?"

She let out a harsh breath. "I'm trying. I've never gotten along with Elizabeth. You know I don't do well with other women."

"I love her."

"I know. I don't understand it, but you told me before you left that I could lose if you I didn't support you. This is me trying." She had screamed and cried after Monica had confronted her, but eventually she calmed down and realized that having Jason in her life was more important than getting rid of Elizabeth.

"Thank you."

She wiped away a tear and then smiled at Jake who was now awake. Liz walked into the room with a bottle.

"Do you want to feed him?"

Carly looked up. "May I?"

"Sure."

She took the bottle and a hungry Jake started to suck. "He's perfect."

Liz slightly smiled. She was still very wary of Carly. They had gotten along for the most part during the Sonny's death fiasco, but it wasn't easy. "I think so too."

Carly met her gaze. "Listen, I can't promise that I'll be perfect, but I'm trying." There was no way in hell they would become good friends, but her love for Jason overruled her need to snipe at Liz. Besides, she was a sucker for babies.

"Thank you." She didn't want any stress around her child.

There was another knock on the door and Liz opened it. "Grams."

Audrey's lips were pressed tight. "Elizabeth."

Liz swallowed hard. "Come in."

She walked inside, her eyes being drawn to the couch. "Hello Jason."

"Hi Mrs. Hardy."

"You can call me Audrey. How are you feeling?"

"A lot better."

"Good."

She slightly smiled when she saw the baby. "May I speak to you alone?"

Liz nodded and led her to the kitchen. "Go ahead and let it out."

What Elizabeth didn't know is that Monica had sat everyone down and laid down the law.

 _FLASHBACK_

"Why am I here?" Courtney asked.

Emily rolled her eyes.

Monica ignored her, waiting for Audrey to arrive. She was the last one. Nikolas, Emily, Carly, and Lucky were already seated.

Alice walked Audrey into the room and Monica took a sip of water before beginning.

"I called you all here to talk about Elizabeth and Jason."

Everyone looked at each other.

"You know where Jason is?" Courtney asked as her eyes lit up.

Emily wanted to smack her silly. "Courtney, let Monica talk."

"Thank you Emily. Now, he will be home very soon. I came back here to make sure that no one in this room interferes in his life."

Carly sighed. "Because of Elizabeth?"

Courtney frowned. "He's still with Elizabeth?"

Monica smiled. "Yes and their baby."

You could have heard a pin drop until Emily stood and let out a puff of air. "Elizabeth was pregnant when she left?"

"Yes, but she didn't know it. She found out a few months later."

"And she didn't tell anyone," Carly said smugly.

"That is partly because of your big mouth."

Carly's trap dropped open.

"If you weren't always in my son's business, she would have come forward sooner, but the doctors told her that she had to avoid stress."

"Don't even try to blame me because she lied. That is all on her."

Monica shook her head. "Ultimately, it is, but don't sit there and act like you had no affect on her decision making. In fact, you all did."

Emily was shocked. "I'm Elizabeth's friend."

"Who has always pushed her towards Lucky." Monica looked at him apologetically. "Don't even try to deny it. Elizabeth gets to be happy. Lucky is a big boy and doesn't need her to fix him."

Lucky looked down at the floor. He couldn't deny that Elizabeth always put him first. It was something he had taken for granted.

"They are coming back with their son, Jake. He's beautiful and Elizabeth and Jason are in love. Let them be. Medically, Jason almost died. His body has been through a lot of trauma and they are going to need our help with the baby. What they don't need is to be stressed out."

Courtney was crying.

"Courtney, I swear to God if you interfere or do anything to hurt their relationship, I will kill you myself." Monica turned to Carly. "And you better not upset Elizabeth or try to tear them apart. I will sic Edward on you and after all you put this family through, you will be lucky to have the clothes on your back when he is done."

An embarrassed Carly got up and walked out, followed by a devastated Courtney.

Nikolas stood. "I don't really approve of Jason, but if that is truly who Elizabeth wants, I'll keep my mouth shut."

"Thank you."

Lucky got up too. "I won't stand in their way. I kind of owe it to her."

The two men left and Emily walked up to her mom. "I guess I haven't been the best friend to her. After all the bad that had happened with Lucky, I just thought they were better together than apart. I didn't realize she was so miserable."

Monica hugged her. "She loves you Emily and I know you love her. Just be a good friend to her and I know she'll be the same to you. Elizabeth sacrificed a lot for Lucky. She even modeled and I remember overhearing her say she hated it. It's time that she gets to be put first and I think your brother will make that happen."

Emily went up to her room and that left Audrey who was pursing her lips.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N – Thanks for the comments! I'm happy you like the progress!

Chapter 7

Monica got comfortable. "Go ahead, I know it's killing you to stay so quiet."

"Your son is a criminal," Audrey said.

"My son had his life taken away from him. He was a mess and did the best he could to survive. Yes, his life is dangerous, but he has a big heart and loves your granddaughter more than life itself. He would die for her. When he knew that he only had forty-eight hours to live, he left the hospital to find her and tell her that he loved her. That is how important she is to him."

"It's because of him that Elizabeth left in the first place."

"It was a misunderstanding. He wasn't with Courtney. Look, you have a beautiful great grandchild now and Elizabeth needs all of our support to get through this. If you can't get past your dislike for my son, who you don't even know personally, then they you are going to miss out on a lot. It's your decision. I may not like all of Jason's choices, but he's my son and I will do anything for him. Between me and you, I don't think he's going back to work for Sonny. He had lost too much and this time, he almost died. Jake and Elizabeth will come first."

Audrey didn't pretend to understand how the two of them had hooked up in the first place. "I don't want to lose them. I'm just scared of the danger."

"I know, but they will have guards and Jason will not let anything happen to them. They are in love and there is nothing you could say to her to make her leave him. Watching the two of them and seeing the love in their eyes is a sight to behold. It's beautiful."

"So they won you over?"

"Elizabeth is a wonderful girl. It didn't take much. I encouraged her to get some therapy. Her self-esteem is low and I think she has abandonment issues. I want her and Jason to have a fighting chance."

Audrey stood. "I guess I have a lot to think about."

"Call me if you want to talk. I'm going back to stay with them in two days."

"Okay."

 _END FLASHBACK_

Audrey put her hand over her chest. "If I had seen you a few months ago, this conversation might have been different. I've had a lot of talks with Monica which kind of prepared me. You know I'm not a fan of the mob element, but it's too late for that. I trust that Jason is making sure that you are safe?"

"Yes."

"Is he able to help you with Jake?"

"Yes. He can get around now. He's great with Jake. For the foreseeable future, he's going to stay home and take care of him when I go back to work. The truth is that he may not go back to working for Sonny. We'll always have guards, but he's different and is still healing." They couldn't be totally sure what permanent damage was done. Mentally, there wasn't too much difference. He could dream now, but his personality was pretty much the same. He wasn't as intense which was a good thing. Derek was pretty sure no further brain damage was done. Jason had a physical therapist that came to the house. His speech was much better and a lot of the confusion was gone. There were still some times when he had trouble doing things that required a lot of coordination, but he could read again and get around albeit slowly. Francis would be here with him during the day to assist. Johnny was the new enforcer, so he wouldn't be around as much in a guard capacity.

Audrey relaxed a little. "I guess I will have to get to know him more because I intend on spending time with my grandson."

"I'm glad that you want to."

"Elizabeth, I love you. I know I'm sometimes hard on you, but that is because I expect very good things from you. I'm proud of how hard you worked to be a nurse. Now, may I meet my grandson?"

"Sure."

They went back to the room. Carly had just finished burping him. She waited for Audrey to get situated and then handed the baby over.

"Oh, look how cute he is," Audrey said proudly.

"He smells so good," Carly said.

Audrey cooed over him, much to Elizabeth's delight.

Carly left, promising to bring Michael over to meet him in a few days. Only time would tell if her mouth would get her in trouble.

After Audrey went home, someone knocked again and she was shocked to see Emily, Nikolas, and Lucky at the door.

"Oh my goodness."

"Hey. Congratulations," Emily said hugging her. They had bags of baby clothes, bottles, and diapers.

"Did you buy out the store?"

"You know Emily," Lucky said. They hadn't spoken a lot, so she was surprised he had showed up.

Nikolas hugged her. He wasn't the biggest Jason fan, but he was willing to change his opinion for Liz's sake.

Emily kissed her brother. "I'm so glad that you're okay."

"Me too."

He was happy to see her.

"Missed you."

"I missed you more."

Liz picked up the baby and handed him to Emily. "Jake, this is your Aunt Emily."

"I think I'm already in love."

Nikolas took a picture for her.

Lucky got a phone call and had to go. Liz walked him to the door.

"I really hope we can be friends again."

Liz nodded politely. "We can try." She appreciated that he was trying to get his life together, she just wasn't sure how it would all work because Lucky had been pretty jealous of Jason in the past.

He left and she turned her attention to her friends.

"We're going on a shopping spree and I'm not taking no for an answer," Emily said.

Jason looked at Elizabeth, hoping she would agree because he wanted them to spend time together. Elizabeth needed to get out.

"That's fine." Monica had already given them a crib and some other things, but there were some items they still needed.

Nikolas watched as Emily handed the baby back to Elizabeth. She was born to be a mother. Elizabeth approached him.

"Jake, this is Nikolas. I already know that he will protect you."

Nikolas slightly smiled as he held the baby. "He's so small."

"I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts."

"You're right. I will protect him."

"I knew I could count on you." She leaned her head against his arm as she lightly rubbed Jake's head.

Emily sat next to her brother and grabbed his hand. "I'm glad that you're going to be okay."

"Me too."

He leaned closer. "I need your help."

"With what?"

He rubbed her ring finger and Emily's eyes grew big.

"Really?"

"I'm not wasting any more time."

"I'll take you shopping when she goes back to work."

"Thank you."

For so long, Emily thought Lucky was going to be Elizabeth's other half. Somehow, along the way, Jason happened and while she was still getting used to the idea, just the little she had seen them interact was enough to know that they were both blissfully happy. She had never seen her brother look at a woman the way he looked at Elizabeth.

Liz sat on other side of Jason grabbed his other hand.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. It's been a good day."

Emily watched them smile at each other. It was beautiful. That is when the realization hit her that while Lucky might have been Elizabeth's first love, Jason was her soul mate.

"Emily. We're going to be late," Nikolas said.

She pouted and then kissed her brother on the cheek and hugged Elizabeth who now was holding Jake again. "I get first dibs on babysitting."

"I think mom might have something to say about that," Jason said.

Emily loved that he had called Monica, mom. "You leave her to me."

"Bye," Nikolas said before ushering Emily away.

Jake smiled at his mom.

"He takes my breath away."

Jason moved his finger tip over Jake's chin. "He loves his mom."

"He loves you too."

"I want to plan a trip to the island. I know I need to stay and get my therapy for now, but we can make plans about six months ahead."

"Okay. I will never turn down the beach."

He kissed the top of her head. He was looking forward to finally being alone with her.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

The next day, Elizabeth went shopping with Emily to get some things they needed. Jason laid Jake down, knowing he always slept after his bottle. He liked being home with his son. It gave them time to bond.

He still had a smile on his face from the previous night. They had made love and it was beautiful. Elizabeth totally had his heart.

There was a knock on the door, so he answered it.

"Courtney."

"May I come in." She gave him her best pathetic look which had worked on him in the past.

"I'm not sure."

She frowned. "Why?"

"I'm don't get why you would come see me."

"Jason! Just because you're not guarding me anymore doesn't mean that I don't care about you. When I heard that you have been hurt, I was devastated."

"Courtney, you need to let it go. I'm with Elizabeth and I'm never leaving her. I love her."

A tear ran down her cheek. "Why her? I just—why won't you take a chance with me?"

"I have loved Elizabeth for years. Besides, your Sonny's sister. I really don't want to go there."

She pouted. "Can I see him?"

"He's sleeping."

"I promise that I'll leave afterwards."

He sighed. "Fine."

She moved past him and headed to the crib. "He's beautiful."

"Yeah."

She turned and looked up at him. "I would have had a baby for you."

Jason groaned. "Courtney, you need to leave. The only reason I let you see Jake was because I was hoping it would help get it through your thick head that I have a family now and don't want you."

"But Jason…" She dove into his arms.

Jason tried to push her away, but he was still weak and she had kung fu grip. "Courtney, get off me."

Elizabeth had opened the door and her mouth dropped open. She dropped the bags she was carrying and Emily swore under her breath.

"Get your grubby little hands off of him, you bitch."

Courtney pulled back and glared at her. "Jason is a free man. I don't see a ring on your finger."

Elizabeth hauled back and smacked the taste out of her mouth. "How do you like my fingers now?"

Jason was shocked.

"Now get out of our home right now before I drag you out."

Courtney flipped her hair. "I'm not leaving until Jason tells me too."

"Leave," he said firmly.

"You don't mean that."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Do you want me to call a guard?"

"Nobody asked you, Emily."

Johnny entered the room. "Who let the rodent in?"

"She weaseled her way in. Can you throw her down the stairs or something?" Elizabeth asked.

Johnny smirked. "Gladly."

Courtney let out a harsh breath. "Don't you touch me." She brushed past Johnny. "You'll get tired of her. She can't please you like I can and she is not your type. I am." With that, she slammed the door and Jake started to cry.

Elizabeth muttered a few choice words and picked him up. "It's okay, baby. The she-monster is gone." She looked up at an embarrassed Jason. "You didn't let her touch him. Did you?"

"No! I thought if she saw him, she'd get it through her dense head that I don't want her."

Liz kissed Jake who had his eyes closed. "I'm sorry that I yelled. She—I just hate her."

"Me too." Courtney had cost him way too much. From now on, he wasn't going to even address her.

Emily went to grab the bags. "I'll start putting this stuff away."

"Thank you Emily."

Jason sat on the couch. "Are you mad at me?"

Liz let go of some of the stress in her body. "No. I just don't want her in here."

"Never again. You're kind of hot when you're feisty."

Her eyes snapped to his. "Seriously?"

"I always want you."

His gravelly voice sent a shiver down her spine.

"You'll have to show me how much later."

"Done."

They exchanged a knowing smile.

There was a knock and Emily let Alan in. He was carrying a bag.

"More presents?"

He smiled. "This one is for you."

Elizabeth took the bag and then handed him Jake. Alan sat down and lovingly talked to him.

"Oh my God," Liz said taking the chocolate out.

"A little birdie told me that is your favorite."

She made a muffled noise while shoving a piece into her mouth, making him chuckle. "So good."

Emily reached over to get a piece and got her hand smacked. "Hey!"

"When you push out a baby and then come home to see Courtho's arms wrapped around your man, you can have chocolate too."

"Who are you and what have you done with my friend?"

"I left her in Canada."

Alan chuckled.

Emily grabbed the bag and made a run for it and Liz got up and chased her.

Jason smiled at their antics.

"How are you feeling?"

"Good. I'm glad to be home."

"Are you sure? Courtney actually had the nerve to show up here?"

Jason sighed. "I know. It won't happen again." He was going to speak to Sonny and make sure of it.

"I wanted to chat with you about something."

"Okay."

"I never got rid of your trust fund. I know you never wanted it, but if you're not working for Sonny, you won't be making any money. Do you own the penthouse?"

"Sonny owns it."

"Well, if you want to get a house, you could use the money in your trust."

Jason was silent. He wasn't sure what to say. He had some money saved. It wasn't a huge amount, but it was enough for them to survive on for a while. "I don't know what to say."

"I know that money was meant for Jason Quartermaine, but you are still my son and it's yours. The paperwork will be delivered in the morning. I don't want you and Elizabeth worrying about money. She is a nurse, so I know she'll make a steady salary. Eventually, you will figure out what you want to do with your life. I know you don't want to work at ELQ, but there is a position available for a supervisor for the security team. It's yours if you want it."

The look of shock on Jason's face made Alan chuckle.

"You don't have to decide anything today. If by chance, you want to remain in the mob, I will deal with it. I'm not losing you again. It means a lot that you are willing to let us in."

"Why?"

"Why do we love you?"

Jason nodded.

"Jason, you are my flesh and blood. I can't help but to love you."

"But you hate what I do."

Alan looked down at Jake. "Let me tell you something, someday Jake is going to do something that will probably appall you."

Jason smirked.

"You'll hate it, but you won't hate him. There are times when you will want to strangle Edward and Tracy, but deep down you are family and they will fight for you. I guarantee it."

Jason's face twisted and Alan laughed.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N – Wendi – lol – Sorry. I don't often leave out the sex scenes but this one stayed true to a "T". I'll make it up to you!

Well thank you so much for embracing this little ficlet. I really appreciate all the comments, favorites, and follows. I'm glad that people are still reading Liason fanfiction. I'm not sure how long the break will be before I post the new one. I like to be far ahead when I start, so it definitely won't be more than two weeks. I'll do the best I can to get it done faster! The next one is all hospital centered and more of an ensemble piece. There is no mob. It starts with a bang and there is lots of hospital gossip, drama, as well as fun. I really hope you like it. If you want a preview, check out my banner (I just realized a misspelled a name so I'll fix it tonight – Amelia – crossover character). Anyway, just go to the link in my profile.

Chapter 8

Alan adjusted Jake in his arms. "Looking back, I basically told you that if you want to be in the mob then I was done and I deeply regret that. I could have handled it differently. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have accepted your job, but that stand… it totally fractured our relationship. I'm so sorry if I made you feel like you were bad. Do you understand why I reacted that way?"

"Yeah. I kill people. You didn't want me to die or go to jail. I get it. I wouldn't want Jake to be an enforcer. It would kill me, but I would do everything I could to protect him if that was his choice."

"And that is where I failed. I didn't know what else to do and I lost it. I was so mad at you because I thought you were throwing your life away—that you didn't care about the violence because you didn't care whether you lived or died. But Jason, we cared. We didn't want to lose you again. You are a walking miracle—our miracle. Don't ever think that you don't matter or that you are unloved. Even when I walked away I didn't hate you. I carried you in my heart. We prayed for you every night."

Jason was moved by his father's words. "I used to tell you that I didn't remember you, like your existence didn't matter. That was wrong. Even though I lost my memories and I fought you tooth and nail, you were my family. I pushed you away because in my mind, I told myself it was safer that way. It was dumb if you think about it because even if we didn't have relationship, if someone had attacked you to get to me, I would have tried to save you. I never completely turned my back on you. Right now, I just need some time to get to know you better. I want Jake to know his family because the alternative is too painful. I don't want to fight with you anymore."

"Can you forgive us Jason?"

"Can you forgive me?"

Alan closed his eyes for a moment. "Yes."

"My answer is yes too."

"Thank you."

"I guess that means I should call you dad?"

Alan blinked away his tears. "I really would love that and I'll try to refrain from hugging you in public."

Jason grinned. "Sounds good."

Emily and Liz stood at the top of the stairs with big smiles on their faces, pleased that Alan and Jason's relationship was finally back on track.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Six months Later

Elizabeth watched Jason run into the water. After months of working out, he looked like himself again. Jake squealed, trying to get his dad's attention. They were like two peas in a pod. Jason had started working again. After much consideration, he decided that working at ELQ was just not his thing and made Jake and offer that she couldn't refuse. He was now the proud owner of Jake's. They bought a house not too far from the Q's. It was a three bedroom. Edward wanted him to go bigger, but Jason didn't want too. They weren't planning on having any more kids for a few years and it was a great starter house. He was never flashy to begin with.

Alan sat next to her on the blanket and Jake reached out his arms, making his grandpa smile. "Come here." He sat him on his lap.

"He wants to be in the water with Jason."

"Soon, he'll be big enough. Time goes fast."

"I don't even want to think about it."

Emily and Nikolas joined them. "Can we take him in the water?"

"Just at the edge," Liz said. She didn't mind them wading into the pool with him, but the ocean was too unpredictable.

Johnny ran past them and Jake squealed again. Johnny flashed him a smile and then joined Jason. Sonny had let him have a vacation. In fact, everyone had joined the young couple.

Liz fondly stared down at her beautiful ring. Jason had proposed to her a few weeks prior. He had the ring made especially for her and she would always cherish it. He had shut down the bar and lit candles. It was so romantic. Carly just about had a conniption when she found out, but after Jason refused to speak to her for a week, she came around.

Emily lifted Jake into the air and his giggles made everyone smile. She handed him to Nikolas and stood. He looked so cute in his little life jacket.

"Bye sweetie," Liz said as she waved.

Jake waved back. Jason saw them and got Johnny's attention.

Emily and Nikolas swung him and he laughed when his feet touched the water.

"Jake look," Emily said pointing.

Jake followed her finger and grinned. "Da!"

Jason walked up to him. "Hey buddy."

Jake lifted his little arms and Jason lifted him easily. His eyes grew big when his dad dripped water on him. Nikolas picked up Emily and ran into the ocean with her.

Jason sat at the edge of the water and Jake burrowed his feet in the sand. Every time a wave came up he would laugh.

"They look so good together," Monica said.

Liz smiled. "Yeah. I took your advice."

Monica frowned. "About what?"

"I'm going to therapy. It has been hard reliving some memories, but I feel really good about myself for the first time ever."

"I'm glad. You're a good person and Jason is lucky to have found you."

"Thanks. I'm pretty lucky myself. He puts me and Jake first and I put them first. Before, I couldn't believe that he would love someone like me, but now…"

"You realize that you have a lot to offer too?" Alan asked.

"Yes." She had grown very close to them and truly loved them. She wished her own parents made a quarter of the effort Monica and Alan did.

"Elizabeth, when you and Jason tie the knot, if you want to call us mom and dad, you can. I would consider it an honor and you are already a daughter in my heart. I asked Emily if she would mind and she answered it by hugging me," Alan said.

Liz wiped a tear away. "I am honored that you asked me. I would love that."

He gave her a hug.

Jason watched from the shoreline. "Do you think she's okay?"

"I know she is because I know what they are chatting about," Emily said devilishly.

Jason's eyes narrowed. "Tell me."

She shook her head no and Jake grinned and shook his head.

"You are a bad influence on my son." He handed him off to Johnny and Emily took off running. Jason quickly caught her and picked her up and then threw her into a wave as Jake clapped.

Later that night, Jason and Liz sat on the balcony looking at the stars. She was on his lap, gently caressing her arm.

"You looked upset for a minute when we were at the beach."

"Your dad made me cry."

"I hate when that happens."

She grinned. "He told me that I could call your parents mom and dad when we get married."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I think it was one of the sweetest things anyone has said to me."

"They love you."

"I know. It used to bother me."

"Why?" he asked before kissing her head.

"Because I never felt like my parents really loved me and I really wanted them to. Now, I realize that you have to be grateful when someone loves and respects you. I feel lucky to have them in my life."

"Your parents are idiots for leaving you."

She kissed him languidly. "Thank you for loving me."

"You are easy to love."

She fisted his hair and they kissed passionately.

The sounds of Jake's cries filtered through the air and they both groaned.

Monica looked up from down below. "I've got him. He can stay with us tonight."

"Thank you!"

She eased of Jason's lap. "I'm going to get some things together and then it's on."

He smiled and watched her saunter away. Wait until she saw what he had planned for the next day.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Keeping a wedding secret was a hard thing to do when so many people were involved, but they all knew better than to piss Jason off. As far as Liz knew, Monica and Alan were renewing their vows. She had initially balked about wearing white, but Emily had convinced her it was what Monica had wanted. A makeup artist made sure that their makeup looked good.

"Why do I feel like I look like the bride?" Liz said staring at Emily who was in lilac.

"Because you're paranoid."

"At least I get to be barefoot."

"You won't need a pedicure."

Tracy sat in the corner smirking. She couldn't wait to see the look on Elizabeth's face. At first, the younger woman was intimidated by her, but over time, she learned to fight back.

Carly waltzed in. "You guys look great."

Liz smiled. "Thanks. Love your dress." It was baby blue.

"Thanks!" She was Jason's best person, a job she took very seriously.

"Come on let's go," Alice said from the hallway.

"I need to grab my son," Liz said.

"Sonny has him."

Liz's eyebrow rose and everyone laughed. For some reason, Jake like to pat on Sonny's face. Monica said it was because he knew who to smack.

"Relax. He's good with kids," Carly said.

"I'm sure Edward will steal him," Tracy said before standing. "Are we ready yet? The faster we get through this, the faster I get my wine."

"All you do is whine," Liz snipped.

"That's due to the company I keep."

Liz rolled her eyes. "You're lucky you even have company."

Emily chuckled. "I think she has your number Tracy."

She muttered something under her breath as she left the room.

Everyone left but Liz and Emily under the guise that they were to arrive last.

"Alright, you ready?"

"Yup. I miss my babies."

"Let's do this."

They walked out of the villa and down a pathway, before slipping off their shoes and walking in the sand. When they came around the corner, Alan was standing there and Emily hurried off.

"Where is she going?"

"Will you walk with me?"

She shrugged and took his arm. "Shouldn't you already be up there?"

The music started playing and Liz frowned as they started moving. "What is going on?"

He paused and everyone yelled, "Surprise!"

Liz's mouth dropped open as everyone laughed and took pictures.

"Elizabeth, I hope you don't mind that I wanted to walk you down the aisle."

Her eyes drifted until she met his gaze. "This is for me?"

Jason cleared his throat. "Elizabeth, I hope you will do me the honor of becoming my wife today."

She swallowed hard and after a few seconds nodded yes.

Everyone cheered as Alan led her to Jason. He kissed her on the cheek. "Treat him well."

"I will." She gave him a hug, taking him off guard. "I love you."

He pulled back with tears in his eyes. "I love you too. Can you hand her over already?" Jason asked playfully.

Alan chuckled. "Patience was never one of your virtues." He put her hand into his. "Cherish her."

"I will."

The officiate led them through their vows as their eyes locked on each other. When it was time to kiss Jason savored every minute of it. "My wife," he whispered against her lips.

"My husband."

They were enveloped by their friends and family and danced all night. It was a celebration of a love that had been well fought for. Two years later, they added a little girl to their family named Cameron Lila Morgan. She was spoiled just as much as Jake. Their love would stand the test of time.

The End


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